Kathleen’s Review: My review of Raquel Welch’s Voltage Elite & why I love it more than my other Voltages

Kathleen here and I’m so excited to share with you my new Raquel Welch Voltage Elite. Why I love it so much and why I love it more than my two standard open cap Voltages.

Lets start with the pros of the standard Voltage. I have two one shown below in Glazed Sand+ and one in the gorgeous Glaze Fire+. I still love them both. ? Price point…significant difference here. Around $140 for the standard Voltage VS $318 for the Voltage Elite. The style of the standard Voltage is bolder with more flippy ends than its new more refined sister Voltage Elite. The Permatease of the Voltage allows for more volume that won’t flop during the day. All great reasons to steer clear of Voltage Elite…..or is it??

The hair falls in a much more natural way on the Voltage Elite. Below is a collage that illustrates this beautifully. The Permatease gives the standard Voltage volume but also prevents natural hair movement along with the machine sewn wefts.

They both have extended napes but the Voltage Elie has the comfort of felt. It also has more area for toupee clips or glue.

Below illustrates the realism of the Voltage Elite’s 100% hand tied mono top. In comparison the standard Voltage has Permatease and open wefting.
The 100% hand tied Voltage Elite allows so many styling possibilities. I haven’t even scratched the surface. Btw..I didn’t use any products to style my Voltage Elite In these photos.

Realism is important to me. Raquel Welch has really stepped up her game with these new 2017 styles in my opinion. The lace front on this wig is so real…it has fooled everyone. Even when I explain the lace and the hand-knotted hairs..they take a close look at the hairline and still can’t believe its a wig….lol thats always fun..?

This wig is so comfortable and with the addition of the lace front I look forward to clipping it back on those hot Georgia Summer days. Considering it doesn’t have Permatease I have had no problem getting volume out of it. The hair has so much texture & wave that you can really get some big hair if you so desire.

The take away here is for a moderate investment the standard Voltage is a spunky universally flattering easy to wear wig. But…if you get the opportunity I highly recommend Raquel Welch’s Voltage Elite. Yes its more expensive but you can get at least 3 very distinct hairstyles from it so in my mind its a great price for what you get. Not to mention the 100% hand tied cap and a gorgeous well done mono top and lace front. Realism comfort and styling versatility…perfection! ENJOY..?

This is a wonderful review! Can you tell me if the Elite is a tighter fit than the regular? I just got mine and I can’t believe how small it feels 🙁 I need to return it for a different color but I’m also hoping the new one fits better. I’ve had one other RW wig and it fit so well! This elite, not so much. P.S. Kathleen, everything looks so beautiful on you! You’ve given me so much hope in finding the right one at some point! 😀

Have you measured your cap circumference recently? We have plenty of resources in our Knowledge Base to help you with this and please feel free to either comment back here or write in to our Help Desk. We’d be happy to assist you with this!

Hi Darla…thank you for the compliment..:-) .sorry I didn’t see you comment til now..Gina is knows more than me on fit…I have some RW wigs that fit snug..and I have a smallish head…some are quite big on me…I have two handtied ones..the Muse and this one Voltage Elite. Personally I didn’t find a dofference in size with my open cap ones..I still had to take them in…sorry not mych help…in theory the handtied ones should fit a little smaller..I just haven’t experienced that..all the best Kathleen

Hi Beth! This is Gina from CysterWigs and I just sent Kathleen a notification that you submitted a comment on her post.

That being said, when I buzzed down my bio hair, I found open caps to be the coolest without any kind of wig liners. I prefer going with just a wig grip because that extra layer of a liner retains some of the head heat. So I understand how you would also prefer an open cap over a 100% hand-tied cap. Have you tried a cotton wig liner? I think those are a bit more comfortable and cotton handles heat better than nylon. 🙂

Yes, the cotton wig liners come in 3 different shades including black. Yay! Here’s the link to individual packs. You can also find them in a 6-pack as well. I tried the individual liner first then I invested in the 6-pack after I made sure it worked for me.

Please let us know if you have any further questions. We’d be happy to help!

Hi Beth! and thank you Gina for answering Beth with your vast knowledge on the subject 🙂 xxox I have very thin hair..its just pixy short..I really haven’t found a huge difference in temperature between open wefted and handtied..honestly some wefted wigs have so much permatease there isn’t much air getting through. On the other hand The thin materials used in the handtied wigs gives me the feeling that since they are lighter they are cooler..lol I don’t wear a wig cap..less is more with me..I have tried them but I definitely get hotter then…thats just my experience..good luck Beth thanks for reading my post. 🙂 all the best Kathleen

Hi Wendy..welcome to the wig world! 🙂 My regular standard open wefted Voltages definitely have more flippy ends than the 100% handtied version. The main reason that is I think is the permatease helps support those flips and waves. You can get the Voltage Elite to flp more too and stay like that by using a wig safe sculpting cream and some wig safe hairspray. Not hard and if you want or need the Voltage Elite for comfort vs the regular Voltage with a little work you’d be happy. The Voltage Elite has a great lacefront which helps with its realism..but if you are a new wig wearer and aren’t used to lace fronts it might itch in the beginning..if you are a real wig newbie the standard Voltage might be a good choice. You can’t go wrong with this style..it really is universall flattering and very easy to wear. I haven’t found one to ride up more than the other…try tightening the cap more..if you have bio hair sewing in a pressure clip at the nape would help or using a little It-Stays…everything is sold on CysterWigs website and if you have any questions about a product contact their help desk..they respond very quickly and are just the best team around…goodluck and share photos when you get your new wig..all the best Kathleen

Hi there Wendy! Thanks for checking us out! Kathleen and Taz are both amazing women!

Using a product like Jon Renau’s Jon Renau Piece Out Contour Styling Creme will definitely help you achieve some of the “flippy sides” you like. It’s a great product and I know for sure I’ve seen Taz use it in several of her videos. 🙂 Please keep in mind that because of the difference in the cap constructions between the Elite and regular Voltage, the hair style won’t lay exactly the same.

As for which one rides up the back, that depends on the fit of wig and sometimes your head shape. Have you measured yourself recently for a wig? We have some resources in our Knowledge Base to help you with this!

You are not alone in this Wendy! If you have any further questions, please either leave a comment back here or email us at our Help Desk for more in depth assistance. We would be happy to help walk you through each step of the way! The email to our help desk is support@cysterwigs.zendesk.com .

Wendy, so glad you asked this – one of my questions is whether the Voltage Elite can be steam styled with a little bit of wave (comparing to the waves in RW’s Center Stage wig, which is similar but shorter). I like a little more directional wave/flips/etc.

Both the Voltage Elite and the regular version are regular synthetics. This means the only “safe” heat styling for these wigs are steam. It might take some practice perfecting the look you are going for but it is totally work trying! If this would be your first time steam styling, I would recommend using an older wig that you are willing to part with—just in case.

If you have any further questions please feel free to reply back here in a comment or email our Help Desk for a more in-depth and faster response. The email to our help desk is support@cysterwigs.zendesk.com .